Gear mechanism for washing-machines.



c.. GREENLIEF. GEAR IvIEcHANIsM Foa WASHING MACHINES.

`x\ APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23. |912. l ,092. Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

2 SIIEETS-SHEET I;

Afw-

c. E. GREENLIEF." GEAR MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23.' 1912. l

` Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- /J /4 V23 2j/7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' cHAnL-Es'n; GREENL'IEF, or NEWT'oN, I own.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Beit known that -L'CHARLEsE GREEN- LIEF, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newton, 'in the county of Jasper and State of Iowa, have invented new and useful Improvementain Gear Mechanism for Washing-vMachines, of which the following is a specification. l y

It-is the'object ofmy vpresent invention to provide a gear-mechanism whereby the movable elements of a washing machine may be driven 'from ,a suitable motor or motive device, and whereby a wringermounted on the machine may be started, stopped, or reversed at the will ofthe operator, the several parts of the gearing being grouped comfpactly and insuring a positive and-reliable action as hereinafter set forth more in detail.

In-'the accompanying drawings, forming a .part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete machine, one

of the legvs'be'ing broken away tov expose the gear box.- Fig. 2 isan end elevation of the structure shown in Figl. Fig. 3 is a detail of the'upper or socket lend of the driving rock lever. Fig. 4 shows the gear box with y its cover removed and its gears exposed.

Fig. 5 is a sectional `view in elevation throughthe structure. shown in Fig. 4. Figs. 6 and 7 are transversesections through different parts of the gear box.

In the construction shown, a wash tub 1 mounted on legs 2 carries a wringer 3 and serves as -a support for the gear mechanism hereinafter claimed. lThis tub is equipped with the usual agitator or dolly mounted at l the center of the tub on a vertical shaft which periodically 'reverses in direction and is driven in the usual manner by a transversely movable rack bar 4.

A vertical rock lever 5 is pivotally mounted to-the` slide of the tub at a bracket l6 and at its upper end is pivotally connected with the rack bar 4, the upper end of the 'rock lever beingcut laway at 7, as shown in' Fig. 3, so that the rack bar canbe swung' backward away from the'tub as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. -Integral with the top end oflever 5 is a socketl8 having bolt holes for receiving the end of a temporary wooden handle in case, 'for any reason, the

machine is to be driven by hand instead of by motor. The lower end of the rock lever 5 is pivoted to a link '9wh'ich engages and is driven bya crank 10, carried by a' solid and relatively heavy disk V11 mounted ina Specification o f Letters Patent.

outer limit of its movement.

engagement, under these cond1t1on's, 1s 1llus- GEAR'MEGHANISM ron wAsHING-Mncninss.

vertical plane and secured .to a transverse PatentedlApr. 11, 1916.

Application filed March 23, 1912. Serial No. 685,748.

drive shaft 12 at the other end of which is a beveled driving gear 13. 's

The main driving gears for the washing machine are located in a gear boX 14', preferably of cast iron and of fluid tight con--l struction at the bottom, this lbox being provided witha flat removable cover, fittingv closely thereover. A counter-shaft 15 extends through-said gear box from end to end' and is supported in suitable bearings 16 and 17 at the respective ends of the box. l Outside ofbearing 17 and rigidly mounted on counter-shaft 15 is a 'sprocket wheel 18 whereby a sprocket chain may be driven for rotating the roll shaft 19 of the wringer'.

This counter-shaft 15 also carries a rigidly mounted spur gear 20 and a similar but Smaller spur wheel 21, also rigidly connected4 is splined to the drive shaft, but Vis movable along said shaft so that it -can be brought successively into .engagement with the varlous gears of sald box. As a means for effecting this shifting of thepinion along its axis, there is provided a bracket 27 operatively connected with a guide bar 28' carried in suitable bearings 29 and 30 when.

the pinion 26 is shifted fromv one driving position to another.` A smallcounter-gear 31 is mounted below gear 21 in position to mesh with pinion 26 to effect reversal of the wringer when said pinionis at the extreme The driving trated in Fig. 7.

Fig. 4 shows-the pinion 26 1n .mesh w1t h gear 20, this being the normal drlvlng posl tion for the Wringer. When pinion 26 is-in mesh with spur gear 22, the washing mechanism is driven, gear 22 turning freely on countershaft 15 and leaving gears 20 and 21 stationary. Atv a position intermediate between gears 22 and 20, the pinion 26 will will be outof meshl and can .rotate freely -mounted adjacent to the Without driving either'the washing machine orthe wringerl As a means forshifting the driving pinion 26 along its axis to change its driving engagement within the' gear box,

I make use of a link pivotally connected lwith a stud 33 which is rigidly connected with the 4bracket 27 and slides in a slot or guide-Way in the top of the gear/box. Link 32 is pivotally Vconnected to the inturned arm 34 of a vertical control shaft 35 suitably wringer drive and carrying a handle 36 whereby it may be rocked at the will of theoperator to throw 'a driven shaft, a reciprocatory connection e operatively connected with said driven shaft I adjusting means .and'said crank shaft, a spur gear mounted on said countershaft and having driving connection with said ycrank shaft, and a pinion driven by said drive shaft and slid- 'able alongthe axis thereof into andl out of engagement with said spur gear.

2. In a gearing mechanism for washingV machines', the combination of a crank shaft, a reciprocating element operatively connected to said shaft and driven thereby, a counter-shaft, a spur gear mounted to freely turn on said counter-shaft and having a driving connection With said crank shaft, a pinion means for driving said pinion and into and out of engagement with said spur gear to start or stop the movement` reciprocating element.

3. In a Washing machine I gearing, the` combination of a support, a shaft mounted on said support and movable with a reciprocating motion, reciprocating elements operatively connected to move, said shaft, a crankshaft connected to move said reciprocating elements, a bevel gear carried by said crank shaft, driving means for said gear, said means including a spur gear, a pinion,

I and means for driving said pinion, said pinion being movable parallel to the axis of said-spur gear into and out of driving engagement with said spur gear.

4. In a gear mechanism for Washing machines, the combination of a driveshaft, a counter-shaft arranged parallel thereto, a

pinionmounted on said drive shaft and slidable along the axis thereof, a pinion mounted to turn freelyon saidcounter-shaft and gears,

for shifting said pinion of said ig'ivaoaa having a beveled face with gear teeth, a crank shaft mounted transversely to said counter-shaft, a bevel gear carried by said vcrankshaft and in position to be driven by.

the beveled face of said spur gear, vand reciprocating elements carried by said support andoperatively driven by said crank shaft.

In a. gear mechanism for washing inachines the combination of a support, a reversely rotatable vertical shaft carried by said support, reciprocating means for driving said shaft, a gear mechanism for actu ating saidreciprocating means, said gear mechanisi'n including a transverse shaft, a bevel gear 'irriedl'iysaid transverse shaft,

a eounter-slfiaft, a combined bevel and spur gear freeiy rotating on said counter-shaft, a drive shaft, and a pinion slidable on said drive vshaft into and out of engagement with said spur-gear.

6. i a washing machine gearing-the ccmbinati,A of a support, a drive shaft and a countershaf' mounted below said support, a crank sh it mounted transversely to countcrshaft, a beveled gear carrie-:l "oy said counter shaft, a pair of gear lwheels ,mount ed on said ciauntensliaft, a third gear `#theel carried by said counter-shaft and free to turn thereon, said last'named gear having driving engagement with 'said beveled gear, a. counter-gear in mesh with one of said. spur a pinion rotated by said drive shaft and movable along the axis thereof into and out of driving engagement with the other gfears, and a gear box inclosing all of said gears.

7. In a gear mechanism for Washing inachines, the combination of a support, a vertical reciprocating shaft cari'ied by said sup-- port, reciprocating elements 'for driving said shaft, a crank shaft operatively connected to move said reciprocating elements, a counter-shaft mounted below said support, a bevel gear carried by said counter-shaft, means for operatively connecting said bevel gear with said reciprocating elements, a drive shaft mounted below said support and parallel to the counter-shaft, a pinion slidvingly 4mounted and connected to said drive shaft, a spurgear carried by said bevel gear, a slidably mounted bracket carried by said pinion, a link pivotally, connected to said bracket, and a control shaft connected to said link whereby the said pinion may be thrown into and out of mesh withthe said s pur gear.

8. In a washing machine gearing, a supf port a driven shaft, a reciprocatory member operatively connected to said driven shaft, a driving shaft, a counterfshaft, a crank shaft positioned transversely to the counter-shaft and connected to said reciprocatory member, and means for operatively connecting the ico drive shaft with the counter shaft for the purpose specified. 1

reciprocatory Inember, means carried by the drive shaft whereby the same may be thrown into and out of operative engagement with the gearfor the purpose specified. u

10; In a washing' machlne gearing,l the combination of a support, a drive shaft, a

-crank shaft .arranged ktransversely thereto,

gearing connected lto said crank. shaft, a pin'ion `slida'bly mounted y'upon the drive shaft and adapted to-operatively connect and disconnect the drive shaft andthe crank shaft through said gearing, means for shifting said pinion substantially as described, a

driven shaft and areciprocatory connectionfrom said crank shaft thereto.l i 11. In awashing machine gearing, the combination ofa driye shaft, a counter shaft 'arranged parallel thereto, a "spur gear ca rried by the lcounter'shaft, a crank shaft arranged transversely tothe counter shaft and being operatively connected to the'spur gear, ai pinion slidably'-mounted on the drive shaft and adapted to mesh with saidgear on the counter shaft foroperatively cofmeeigaA ing the spur gear with the drive s'haftpa` vertical control shaft, and a link connectin'ig/` said vertical control shaft with the pinionl wherebytlre latter will be thrown. into out of mesh with the spur gear.

'12'. In a' washing. machine gearing, `the combination of a drive shaft', a counter shaft.

arranged parallel thereto, a spur ygear care ried by the counter shaft, a crank shaftfph` sitioned transversely to thev drive. shaft and operatively connected to the spurgeai", a

guide bar, a bracket carried by the guide4v 4` bar, a pinion keyed to and slidably mounted upon drive Shaft, a .connectionbetween the saidbracket and pinion, `al control-shaft, meansA for operatively connecting the' control shaft with the bracket whereby the pinion will lbe thrown into-and outof engage'- ment witlrthe spur gear for the 'purpose specified. l

of two, witnesses,v

. CHARLEa EiGREENI-,IER A"Witnesses:

F. H. BERGMAN,

GEORGE CLARK.

In witned whereof., I hereunto subscribe my name to l his specification inthe presence Y f 

